Never Going To Be A Regular Anything
by GeneticallyEnhanced
Summary: Max escapes from Manticore but has trouble re-adjusting to her life. Mostly angst, some action, and a dash of romance.


  
Never Going To Be A Regular Anything  
  
Chapter 1: Six Months  
  
It had been six months. Six months since she had died in his arms that fateful night. Half a year of yearning, missing, wanting. Half a year without Max.  
Logan put his hand on his forehead as he started remembering again. He shouldn't have counted. He should have just tried to forget her. After all, there were no such things as bio-synths. They were just urban legends. Figments of his imagination. There were no genetically enhanced people. It was just some silly myth he had created in his boredom. In reality, there were people on the streets that needed him. He shifted back to his computer screen intent on his latest computer hack.  
But if there were no bio-synths, then who had mocked Eyes Only? Said that he had used it as a "silly black-and-white Halloween mask" was it? No one. Just some crazy girl with a tough-ass attitude and a motorcycle. No one special. Yet he knew who she was. Her voice had played in his mind day in and day out. Her face was a faded image that hid in the back of his head that he wouldn't let out.  
She's dead, Logan. Nobody, not even Max could survive a bullet to the chest. For God's sake, you saw her eyes roll back into her head. He bit his lip, shook his head, and threw his all into his work. People need me out there. He forced himself to concentrate but somehow, his gaze kept shifting to the window…  
**~**~**  
It had been six months. Six months since he had held her in the woods. Half a year of yearning, missing, wanting. Half a year without Logan.  
Max shook her head, trying to get his image out of her mind. She knew she shouldn't have been counting the days. It only hurt to remember. And if she was going to survive this bitch, she needed to keep her head in the game. It was just so hard. All the training, brainwashing, torture, experimentations. He was all she thought about alone at night. He was the hope she clung onto when she was at her weakest. And why? She shouldn't have cared.  
She knew she had let herself care too much. Become too attached. Zack had warned her. He had warned her a long time ago. And now here she was, his heart thumping in her chest, caring, worrying, and full of mockish sentimentality. Max knew that thinking of Logan only made the mindless days of Manticore life that much harder. But no matter how hard she tried to wipe away his memory, he was always there in the back of her mind.   
Easy Max. He probably thinks you're dead anyway. Like you've always said: hope is for losers. But somehow, Max's eyes would always gaze out the window clinging on the false hope that Logan knew that she was alive. Max almost laughed at that thought, but she couldn't. She was just in too much pain.  
  
Chapter 2: Last Minute Relief  
  
Logan perused the file on his computer. Pierpont Lempkin and the Case of the Missing Arms was an ongoing Eyes Only mission that he was determined to bring to a close. He typed furiously at his computer while focusing on the numerous papers his contact had given him. Yes! That was it! Lempkin's next move was to…  
Knock! Knock! Knock!  
Logan grunted at the rude interruption. He swiveled in his chair and steadied himself up. He opened his desk drawer and retrieved his handgun in case he had any unwanted guests. The exoskeleton whirred into action as Logan cautiously opened the door. He looked in surprise at a distraught Original Cindy.  
"Hey," she greeted him, hastily.  
"Um, hey," he returned in surprise. "What brings you here?"  
Original Cindy rushed into Logan's apartment, almost in a panic. "I almost sold it today. He was pressuring Original Cindy. Offerin' her a real nice price. Coulda found a betta apartment on the chedda he was offerin.' But I couldn't do it."  
Logan was more than a little baffled. "Say again?"  
"Max's motorcycle. Boo loved that thing. Can't believe Original Cindy's havin' trouble steppin' into the real that she really gone. It's been a while. Guess I jus' supposed she was on some kind of extended vacation or somethin.' You know?"  
Logan's heart leaped at the mention of Max. He looked back at Original Cindy sympathetically. "Yeah, I understand. You just gotta let her go," he stated simply and walked over to his computer.  
Original Cindy wrinkled her nose at him. "Then… what would you know? You ain't even talked about her since she left. Least I ain't as bad as you. I can at least know that she existed."  
Logan kept his back to her. "I know Max existed. You think it's easy for me to keep remembering her? Maybe it's just easier this way. Ever thought of that?" he said coldly.  
Original Cindy approached him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes Boo, you just gotta remember," she said and walked out of the apartment.  
Logan sighed as he watched her go. Maybe he was keeping her memory bottled up inside. Logan pondered this for a moment, then turned back to Lempkin, trying again to wipe her out forever. His eyes then wondered to the bottom of the computer screen. A small file folder image read "Manticore file." Logan fixated on the image for a while. Then he took his mouse and clicked on it.  
Logan attempted to hack into the Manticore surveillance cameras, but found that they had been closely guarded since his previous hack. He sighed in despair. What was he thinking? Did he just expect Max to be in one of the rooms waiting for him? It was ridiculous that he even tried this. He was about to give up and close the files, but somehow his fingers couldn't resist searching for information on the X5s. What was her number anyway? Logan pulled out one of his drawers and searched frantically. Ah! There it was!  
Perusing the newspaper, Logan discovered Max's barcode number. "Like opening the paper and finding her panties" he remembered she had told him. 452, that was it! Logan spent a good deal of time breaking into the lab's mortuary files but when at last he managed to hack in; he found X5-499's files. Just where was Max? What were they doing with her body? Logan put his head in his hands for a moment, then turned his attention to "experimentations." He laughed coldly at his foolishness but proceeded to search anyway.  
Not surprisingly, Logan found the experimentation files were tough to hack into. Once he managed to break in, he was stunned to see an entire barrage of clandestine files. There seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of covert operations. One particularly caught his attention: Project Chimera. He tried to hack into the file for several hours. Finally, as dawn approached, the file blinked and shut him down. Logan had only gotten a quick shot of it, but there was enough time for him to see the words "X5-452" flash before his eyes.   
  
Chapter 3: The Escape  
  
Tonight was the night. Max's brother's heart thumped wildly in anticipation. As it turned out, her experience with Eyes Only actually did have some practical use at Manticore. It had freshened her combat skills, her ability to sneak around, and taught her that anything is possible if you have the right contacts. Contacts were what had gotten Max where she was right now. Preparing to make that final leap over Manticore walls.  
Max had had to resort to planning everything out this time; something she was not really used to doing. Previously, she had attempted her usual routine of relying on improvisation, skill, and dumb luck. This time she had called upon the use of observation; a skill she perfected as a child. Several weeks of sneaking, watching, and spying all led to this.  
Earlier, Max had gone through another covert operation. She couldn't even begin to count the number of surgical procedures she had undergone just in the past few weeks. One thing was for sure though; whatever Renfro wanted to do with her, she wanted to keep secret. Only a few of the same Manticore doctors operated on her through carefully bolted doors. All of the operations were done at night and all of the procedures that occurred were whispered. Renfro observed a number of them, taunting Max (or X5-452) all the while. God, how Max hated her.  
Max hated to admit how scared she got just at the sound of her voice. She had attempted to resist and smart-mouth the Manticore director earlier but after several weeks, Max decided the easiest way to survive was through compliance. Even if Renfro knew she was insincere, Max knew she would at least be relieved of some pain if she pretended to be a 'happy little soldier.' Renfro seemed to enjoy watching her procedures but even she had to delegate authority to hold the remnants of Manticore together. That was how Max kept hope that she could outwit her someday.  
Renfro had overseen the latest surgery that afternoon. Once it was completed, Max acted very groggy and sleepy. Not that unbelievable considered all that had been done to her. Renfro apparently bought the act enough to think she was weak enough not to be a problem. She reluctantly left to perform her other duties. This gave Max a chance to finally be alone with the Manticore doctors.  
When all of the surgeons had left, Max was left with Victor, the lab tech at the base. He had found out about Jace's escape, his baby boy Max, and Max's role in Jace's decision to leave Manticore. Victor and Max had planned this for months via scraps of paper slipped to each other with their backs against the camera. Max hated relying on other people, especially people from Manticore, but had no other choice. Thankfully, he came through for her. He slipped her the sedatives in a small vial that she carefully hid. Small, but powerful enough to take out any X series still awake in the middle of the night when she went into action.   
**~**~**  
During the afternoon, Max played her part well. She shuffled around groggy and exhausted. When given orders, it appeared as if she was too tired to do anything but comply. She would mutter "Yes, Ma'am!" or "Yes, Sir!" in a croaky voice and even resorted to stumbling across Vivadyne's hallways in a trance. She perfected her act well enough to fool the X series, her bunkmates, and even the base officers. When night fell, Max even garnered sympathy from her former "brothers and sisters." She had long given up trying to turn the other X5s. They were too far-gone to even consider leaving the cold, foreboding halls they called "home." Max feigned sleep until she could pick up the soft breathing of her bunkmates. Then, calling upon the stealth of her feline DNA, she carefully climbed out of bed and headed toward the door. She thought she was in the clear until she heard a voice whisper harshly "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"  
Max wiped around the see Brin watching her angrily. She decided to attempt to turn her sister once more. "Come on Brin. You don't belong here."  
"If I scream, everyone will get up and stop you X5-452. Go back to bed now." Brin said calmly.  
"All right," Max complied and headed over to her bed.  
Suddenly, Max turned around and clamped her hand around Brin's mouth. Brin struggled against Max's grasp and managed to flip her over. She pinned her down and glared at her sister in fury. "You're too much of a liability X5-452," she hissed. Brin clasped her hand around Max's throat tightly.  
A struggle ensued as Max thrashed about until she was finally able to free one of her hands. Brin studied her, waiting for a counter-attack. Max surprised her by reaching into her hair and yanking out the vial. Brin attempted to stop her sister's hand from using it but she was too slow. In an instant Max shot up and shoved the vial into her sister's mouth. Brin dropped her hands from Max's throat in surprise, enabling her to return the chokehold. Max shoved Brin into the wall and waited as her sister unwilling downed the foul stuff. Finally, as Brin started to tire, Max released her hand. Her sister dropped to the ground, fast asleep. Max smiled at her handy work, then slipped out the door soundlessly.   
She looked around the halls for any guards on duty. Sure enough, two guards stood near the exit looking out for any superhuman activity. One was a shifty-looking, gray-haired, lean man, the other a somewhat stupid-looking, young, fat man. Renfro must be paranoid, Max thought. Luckily, these guards didn't appear to be too tough.  
Max began by grabbing the lean man by the throat and quickly knocking him out. She performed the act quickly enough not to evoke any squeal from the guard. She hid the unconscious man away in a nearby room, then focused on his chubby friend. A moment later, the fat guard noticed his partner had gone missing. He looked around nervously. "Joe? Joe, where are ya? Joe this ain't funny," he called out. Suddenly, Max's elbow came down upon him. The chubby guard looked dazed, but Max realized that she had yet to knock him out. She shoved him against the wall with all her might, fulfilling her goal but accidentally causing him to let out a loud grunt. Oh shit, Max thought.  
In a flash, Max found herself surrounded by Manticore guards. She knew she could take them out but she also realized that by the time she managed knock them all down, the officers would emerge with stun guns. Terrified, Max looked in every direction for some last minute escape attempt. Left: guards, Right: gurads, Front: guards, Back: guards, Up: Skylight?!! This was it. Here one chance. Calling upon all of her strength, Max made a flying leap through the skylight and onto the Manticore roof. The loud noise of glass shattering filled the night sky.   
Max looked down at a group of stunned guards. Hell, she even stunned herself. Even for her, that was one incredible jump. For a second, Max wondered if it had anything to do with all of the experimentations that had gone on in the past months. Then, realizing she had no time to ponder, she took off like a bullet and raced across the roof. She burst forward with all her might until she finally leapt onto a nearby treetop. Already, Max could her gunshots heading toward her. Wincing, she jumped down from the tree and into the snow, trying to ignore the nagging sense of déjà vu as she took off into the night.   
  
Chapter 4: Unexpected Arrival  
  
Three nights later…  
  
Logan had been trying to think of any logical explanation of why Max would be labeled as an experimental subject. Maybe they were talking about experimenting on her body. Maybe it was another clone. But every theory he could concoct led back to what he had always secretly believed; that Max was somehow alive. Logan's head was swimming as he kept trying to deny it. He tried to block out his thoughts with Eyes Only until he eventually nodded off…  
Suddenly he running through the Manticore woods in terror. People were chasing him with helicopters. He had to get away from them. He ran and ran until he heard a soft voice.  
"Logan,"  
Max! Logan searched through the woods until he saw her body by the bushes. She was slumped over on the ground in her army uniform, her eyes barely open. "Logan," she smiled when she saw him. Logan picked up her upper body gently. She appeared to be dying. "Stay with me, please?" she begged.  
"I can't," he heard himself say. "You're already dead."  
Max stared up into his eyes as hers filled with tears. "Don't leave me…" her voice trailed off.  
"Max…" Logan began.  
BANG! BANG! BANG!   
Logan's eyes shot upon. He was dreaming all along.   
BANG! BANG! BANG!  
Wait, that was his door! Logan rose wearily. Who could be knocking at this hour? He cautiously walked over to the door… turned the knob… only to have Max fall into his arms.  
Logan so startled he nearly dropped her as she fell. But, this couldn't be. She had… Unless of course this was her… A soft moan suddenly rose from the corpse he held in his arms. Logan could feel his face suddenly break out into a huge smile. Max was alive! She had made it after all! She was here again! In his apartment! He nearly leapt for joy until he observed Max's current state.  
Max was dressed in a torn lab gown with her faded barcode number printed on the right side. Her hair was dishelved and unwashed, her eyes were bloodshot and almost hidden under dark purple circles, and her body was entirely lifeless and caked with dried blood. However difficult the first escape had been, Logan knew the second one had to have been much worse. As curious as he was to hear about The Great Escape, it didn't take a cyber-genius to figure that Max wasn't in a talking mood right now.   
Logan carefully draped his arm across her back and led her gently to his couch. She willingly complied and mechanically lay down onto it, heaving a sigh of relief in the process. She couldn't even mutter a single word to Logan. The minute she hit the couch, Max was out like a light. Logan watched his exhausted friend/lover for a moment. Then he retrieved a thick blanket and covered her tired body tenderly. For hours, Logan could do nothing but stroke her head and watch her breathe. Eventually, he fell asleep, his hand in her hair and his head on the arm of the couch.   
**~**~**  
Max finally woke up around noontime. She shot up on the couch in alarm, dropping the blanket on the floor in the process. After days of running and skipping meals, Max was in a total state of confusion. She looked around the apartment in alarm. "Where am I?" she asked, surprised when her voice came out as a soft croak.  
Max attempted to get off the couch but her entire body ached and warned her to stay put. Her super hearing pricked the sound of approaching footsteps. She clutched the blanket in alarm and winced as they drew closer.  
"Hey, Max," the voice said softly.  
Max pried her eyes open and tried to keep them focused. She begrudgingly lifted her head and was shocked to see Logan standing before her. She was here again! His apartment! "Thank God," she breathed. There were so many things she wanted to do at that moment. She wanted to thank him for welcoming him in and covering her last night, she wanted to rush up, kiss him passionately, tell him how much she had missed him, she wanted to grasp his body and pull him close. But all she could do was stare up at him in utter shock and relief.  
Logan smiled at Max and stand down beside her on the couch. He wasn't quite sure what to do from here. He supposed his best bet was to just ask her. "Max…" he began.  
Suddenly he was pulled into a tight embrace. Max held him close and pushed her head into his chest. "Logan…" was all she could say. Logan warmly returned the hug and rubbed her back gently.   
"It's okay, you're here now."  
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity until Logan gently pulled away. "You gonna be all right?" he asked cautiously.  
"Yeah. I'll be okay." Max smiled and stared at him for a while. Then she said, "Got anything to eat?"  
Logan laughed. Max would be okay after all.  
  
Chapter 5: Back to "Normal"   
  
Logan was working on his latest "run-of-the-mill spur-of-the-moment culinary miracle" in his kitchen as Max cleaned herself up. Logan labored harder than usual this afternoon. He knew that Max probably hadn't had a decent meal during her horrific stay at Manticore. Plus, given her present state, Max would probably be gone for a while. In fact, Logan was a little surprise at her quick recovery. Oh well, she was genetically engineered to cope better than any normal soldier would. Still… it seemed a little strange to him.  
Max emerged a half-hour later, making do with Logan's baggy clothes. She looked refreshed. Tired, but refreshed. She flashed a small smile at Logan and sat down on one of his kitchen stools. Max put her head on her fist as she watched Logan finish cooking. Finally, after what seemed like forever to her, Logan placed Max's lunch in front of her along with a tall glass of water.  
Logan guessed right about those Manticore meals. Max gobbled down her lunch greedily, enjoying every bite she took. Logan laughed as he poked at his own lunch and waited for her to come up for air. When she finally stopped to down some water, he asked, "So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"  
"Um," she said as she put the glass down. "See if I can get my job back I guess," she shrugged and retreated back to her meal.  
Logan was stunned. "Go back already?! Don't you think you need time to… recuperate? I mean you just came back from-"  
"Don't say it," Max said quickly.  
"I just meant that-"  
"Don't ever mention it again," she glared at him and continued to eat, only slower this time.  
Logan didn't know what to say. How could he let Max go back this soon? She appeared to be okay, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was. On the other hand, once Max decided to do something there was no stopping her. He looked at her with concern, unsure of what to do.   
Max felt his eyes watching her. He wanted to talk about it. She knew he would. But she didn't want to talk about. She just wanted to pretend it never happened. There was no Manticore. She was never recaptured. She never had to undergo those shudder experiments. Max could no longer bear his eyes staring at her, questioning her. She put down her fork and rose in a hurry.  
"Well, gotta blaze," she said quickly.  
" Max," Logan began.  
"Thanks, y'know, for everything. We'll talk later, say around 8? I gotta bounce," she said quickly and raced out the door to avoid any further interrogation.  
Logan sighed as he watched her leave.  
**~**~**   
Max arrived at Jam Pony casually. Almost as if she had never left. She even fooled Normal for a minute. He threw her a package. "Here Max. 98 Chapel, beat it," he called out, turn around, then did a double take. "Max?!" he shouted in amazement and swiped the package from her.  
Herbal Thought thought he heard the name 'Max' called out. He sighed for a moment and thought of his righteous friend who had mysteriously disappeared six months ago. Max was a good woman who had comforted him when his best friend Snuffy was killed. He didn't like how Normal had said her name. He would not stand to have her name shouted out so disrespectfully. He came out of the locker area to teach what Jah had preached about treating the dead properly until he saw Max standing at the entrance in front of a stunned Normal.  
"Max!" he exclaimed.  
Max smiled in his direction. "Hey Herbal," she said as she was pulled into a tight embrace.   
"I always knew that in my heart Jah would never let a righteous woman go as you have gone," he spilled out, overjoyed. Max laughed at her friend's odd way of speaking. She had missed him. She had missed everyone. Maybe even Normal. A teensy bit.  
Sketchy and Original Cindy were next to make the discovery. They were walking up to Jam Pony's entrance after hearing Herbal Thought's delighted voice. "I heard the commotion. What's goin' on?" Sketchy said and halted in his tracks as he saw Max. "Max?"  
"This ain't for real." Original Cindy said next.  
"It's for real boo," Max laughed. Sketchy hugged Max tightly, but Cindy hung back, stunned.  
"But they said you-"   
"Died in that motorcycle accident," Max finished hastily before Original Cindy accidentally babbled about Manticore. "Yeah, they thought I did. Turns out it was just some nasty coma. I pulled through though. It's all good."  
"Yeah, it's all good. C'mere boo," Original Cindy muttered and embraced Max warmly. Max knew that she would need a real explanation. Later. For now, her job remained at stake. Normal was simply staring at her in amazement. She turned to him.  
"So… still need another bike messenger?"  
Normal was still shocked. "Yeah, it's just…"  
"Disappointed?"  
"No! Um… yeah. Position's opened. Just don't go off disappearing again, understood? Now get to work! Bip! Bip! Bip!" he hollered at last and gave her the package back.  
"Some things never change. Who's comin' with me on this run?" Max asked. All three friends eagerly agreed. After all, it's not every day that friends come back from the dead.  
**~**~**  
That evening at Max's apartment…  
Original Cindy watched Max as she walked around the apartment in fascination. Max was carefully taking inventory on how the place had changed in her absence. Some of her former luxuries, such as her rice-burner and a couple of wall pictures left from when Kendra and Max had first started to live in the abandoned building, were missing.  
"Mmm… had to sell a few thing?" Max inquired, pointing to a part of the wall where a former picture had left a mark.  
"Yeah. You know, girl's gotta make ends meet." Cindy responded, then tensed as Max reached her clothes closet. She knew that Max couldn't miss the number of items that had gone missing. She gulped as she turned to her.  
"S'all right. Probably would've done that same thing myself." Max smiled. Then her smile faded as she remembered something. "Oh my God, you didn't-"  
Original Cindy stopped her. "Don't worry Boo. Just couldn't bring myself to sell that bike of yours. Hell, Original Cindy even tried to get a roommate. Kicked her out when I thought she was bitin' your flava."   
"You're a straight up friend." Max smiled. There was an awkward pause for a moment.   
"So when're you gonna tell 'bout what they did to you so's I can put the smack-down on those Black Helicopter Boys." Cindy said light-heartedly.  
"Nothing. I don't wanna talk about it." Max said quickly.  
"But Max don't 'ya think you should at least-"  
"Gotta blaze. Gonna take a ride," Max said and raced off, leaving Cindy stunned. Upset, she shifted around for her cell phone, then dialed the desired number furiously.  
"Hello?"  
"'Ya got Original Cindy here. I wanna know what's wrong with my boo."  
"What're you talking about?"  
"Don't play the foo wit' me. You know she ain't actin' right. Sedated, quiet, won't mention a word 'bout that lab of hers."  
"Yeah, I know. Look… do me a favor. Tell Max I need her over for another 'errand.' She'll understand."  
"'Kay. Hope ya know what you're doin'," she said and hung up.  
**~**~**  
That night, Max sauntered into Logan's apartment with a cool sense of nonchalance. She automatically went into the computer room, thinking she would find Logan in front of the screen, ready to spew out info about the newest Seattle baddie. Instead, she found him waiting in the living room.  
"Logan? What's up? Where's the next mission to save the world?" she asked, confused.  
"This isn't about Eyes Only, Max." Logan stated.  
"Oh, I must be in the wrong apartment then," she replied sarcastically and pretended to turn away.  
"This is about you."   
Max stopped dead in her track and breathed out agitated. "I told you, I'm fine. Can't you just forget about… that place?"   
"Max! We need to talk about this. You can't just deny Manticore forever," he pressed.  
"Yeah? And why not? Ever think it's just easier to forget it? Forget that I'm some genetically engineered freak-of-nature?" she spouted out angrily.  
"Max, you're not…" he began, but stopped when she saw Max shaking violently. "My God, are you okay?"  
Max gripped the sofa tightly to keep herself from collapsing. As she swayed left and right, blood dripped from her eyes. Logan rushed up to her and held her seizing body. "See? What'd I tell you?"  
"What the hell did they do to you back there?" Logan asked with fear in his eyes.  
"I don't know! I don't even want to know! I just want to forget about it. Forget that Manticore even existed," she pleaded as she steadied herself in his arms. "Please Logan. Just let me forget it. Just let me pretend I'm a normal girl for once in my life."  
"Okay Max, all right. It's okay," he whispered. Logan stroked her hair gently until the tremors passed and she was herself again. Then, Max slowly pulled herself out of Logan's grip, stood up, and brushed herself off. She heaved a sigh of relief and looked back at a concerned Logan. They stood in an awkward pause for a while, until Logan finally decided to break the ice.  
"So about Eyes Only," he began…  
  
Chapter 6: Not the Girl Next Door  
  
Max and Logan were back at Logan's computer room discussing the next case. Logan had never planned to put Max back on the job so early but Eyes Only had just popped out of his mouth anyway. Besides, as long as Max was okay with it, he did need her assistance. The Eyes Only Informant hadn't quite been so successful without Max or "the brawn" as Phil had called her.  
"This guy's new. Name's Melonovsky. My informant tells me he's been running an educational boarding school for children."  
"So? What's so bad about an education?"  
"Well, the problem is, the only education these kids are getting is how to work in a sweatshop."  
"Nice. So why don't these kids just blab back to their parents?"  
"Well, it's a boarding school so the kids are held in this 'school' or factory until their 'education' is finished. Usually by then, the kids are either too traumatized or worried they'll be killed if they reveal what's been going on."  
"So you need me to put these guys out of business."  
"Right. And return however many kids are still working there."  
"I'm on it."  
"Thanks. Tell me how it goes when you finish."  
"No problem, but you owe me another dinner after this one," Max said and walked out the door, map in hand.  
**~**~**  
Max had a tough time finding the place. It was in the corner of an alleyway behind a black, peeling door. It was only her super hearing that led her to believe that this was in fact that "sweatshop school." By pressing her ear to the door, Max could make out the whimpers of small children and the noise of a thick, bellowing, Russian accent. Holding her breath, she carefully picked at the lock until she heard the desired "click" and slowly entered the building.  
The entire room was filled with small children working on sewing shoddy clothes for the oversea investors. Some of the kids were barely over five years old. They all appeared exhausted as they worked tirelessly on the machines under the close watch of the Russian thugs. Safe behind a nearby pillar, Max observed the children obey and meekly ask for a drink every now and then. Oh yeah; these guys had to be taken down. But how? Smiling, Max came upon a pile of old clothes lying under one of the sewing tables.  
"Vork faster! Faster! Time is money!" Melonovsky yelled at the children.  
"Actually, they were just about to go on break,"  
"What?! Who said tha-" the Russian hug turned around only to have Max pull him into a chokehold one of the very same scarves he made forced the children to make.  
"Talk about your cruel irony's, huh?" Max said sarcastically. Then she looked around to see herself surrounded by Melonovsky's men.   
"Let him go!" one of the men cried with his gun in hand.  
"Sure," Max complied and slammed Melonovsky's head onto one of the sewing machines, knocking him out. She was then rewarded with a barrage of gunfire from the angry mobsters. Children started screaming loudly and ducked under their desks in fear.  
Max easily dodged the bullets and disappeared out of sight. Or so the gangsters hoped. They carefully surveyed the room looking for their strange intruder. Closer, closer, Max thought. Then, when two of the men were standing over a pile of clothes, she yanked it out from under their feet and sent them crashing to the ground. She proceeded to kicking the conscious one down with one swift blow. A squeal from under a desk warned Max of another gangster racing toward her, which she quickly took down with a swift kick to the chest. The last man tried to shoot at her, but missed. He was then greeted with the butt of his own gun and slumped over. Max smiled at a job well done. She then turned to the kids.  
"Hey guys, how 'bout bustin' outta here?" she suggested. The children cheered and ran out from under the desk. Max looked around the factory for a moment as her smile faded. "Why don't you guys wait outside for me? I'm gonna check out a few things." As she sauntered around the place and saw five burly, unconscious gangsters, Max realized that she didn't really feel like celebrating anymore.  
  
Chapter 7: The Price of Genetic Engineering  
  
Logan heard the door to his apartment slam and knew that Max had returned from his mission. He had just received a call from his informant telling him that it had been another job well done for Eyes Only. To celebrate, Logan had fished out a bottle of champagne and lit the entire apartment in soft candlelight. He was not expecting to see a despondent Max walk slowly into his apartment.  
"Heard you brought Melonovsky down. You did good Max," he complimented and handed her a glass of champagne.  
"Oh. Yeah. Sure," she muttered and set the glass down on the table. She walked over to Logan's rain-soaked window and, sighing quietly, stared off into space.  
"What's wrong?" Logan asked.  
"You remember what you told me that night? Up on the Space Needle?" Max asked.  
"I recall some things I said. Not the things I probably should've said that night," Logan said and exhaled softly.  
"I was telling you about how I would sit up there and start to feel like I was a regular girl. And… you were telling me how I was never going to be a regular anything," she recalled and laughed softly. "You were right about that Logan. No matter what I do, Manticore will always be on my tail. No way I can just pretend to shrug it off. I'll always be a bio-synth. Plain as the barcode on my neck." Max was stifling a sob that was threatening to escape when Logan came up behind her. He carefully turned her around to face him, then looked deep into her eyes.  
"Let me show you something, Max," he said and took her hand. Confused, Max obeyed and started to walk with him.  
**~**~**  
Max found herself being led around the Seattle streets. She wondered where the hell Logan was leading her at this time of the night. The Space Needle? Nah, that was on the other side of town. Crash? Yeah right. Logan had never shown any interest in going there. Then… where? Max knew Seattle like the back of her hand, but she wasn't very familiar with this obscure area.  
Logan finally stopped and approached a small, unassuming little building. Max peered inside. The room was almost empty, except in the corner of the room lay a whole conglomeration of computer equipment. Mostly notably, there was a video camera, a group of files, and a flat-screen monitor. Floating on the screen was the Eyes Only logo, except that the Eyes Only eyes appeared to be missing. Instead they were focused on her.  
"You came to show me the Contacts Room? What does this have to do with anything?" Max asked, slightly agitated.  
"Just wait," Logan coaxed. He sat on the desk chair and leaned back. Max steadied herself onto the computer desk and toyed with the file papers as they waited. After a few awkward minutes, the sound of footsteps sent Logan up from the chair and toward the Contacts Room entrance. Max followed and saw a family approaching. A mother, a father, and two small children walked up to them with smiles plastered on their faces. Max shot Logan a confused look but he was focused on the family.  
"Is this the Eyes Only room?" the mother asked with a tremor in her voice.  
"Think you're in the right place," Logan smiled.  
"Oh God," the woman cried and hugged Logan tightly. Max looked at the scene in perplexity, until one of the children pointed to her excitedly.  
"That's her Mommy! That's the girl that saved us!" she chirped. Max recognized her as one of the factory workers. She smiled back at the child. "Do you have magical powers?" she whispered to Max, who laughed in response.  
"Are you the girl who helped save our kids?" the father asked.  
"I thought the kids were making up some kind of story. They were talking about some mysterious girl breaking in and rescuing everyone. You know how kids are. But whatever you did… thank you," the mother told Max.  
Max couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face as she realized she was responsible for piecing together the happy family. Beaming, she glanced at Logan who was also smiling at her. She suddenly felt a great sense of gratitude to him.  
"Don't forget my partner," she said pushing Logan forward. "Couldn't have done it without him."  
A period of hugs, giggles, and thank yous ensued for a while. Then, the happy family waved goodbye to the Eyes Only team and took off back to their home. Max sighed as she watched them go. Then she nudged Logan and asked "Still in the mood for some champagne?"  
**~**~**  
Back at Logan's apartment, Max and Logan were celebrating with some pre-Pulse champagne. They were both on the couch by the window enjoying each other's company and laughing light-heartedly.  
"Just thought you should be able to see the fruits of your labor." Logan said. He sipped a little of his champagne, then asked curiously, "Still think it's silly to try and save the world?"   
"Beginning to see an up side." Max said simply. Then after a brief pause. "Gotta savor the time you have, right?"  
"I guess," Logan responded almost hearing her walls start to crack.  
"I hated it there. It was even worse than last time. Drills, torture tactics, experiments. When I was a kid, I didn't know what I was missing. Guess knowing how the world worked made it that much harder," she sighed and sipped her champagne.  
"You know Max, any normal girl wouldn't have been able to bring down Melonovsky's sweat shop without breaking a nail. There's gotta be something nice in knowing that." Logan prodded.   
"I know," Max agreed.  
"Besides, we're all freaks one way or another," he smiled and pulled up his pants a little to reveal his exoskeleton. Max smiled and reached down to touch the odd mechanism. As she felt the smooth exterior, she suddenly felt her head being lifted up. She was being pulled into a tender kiss, which she gratefully returned.  
"Thanks Logan," she whispered as they continued kissing.  
"Promise you'll never go back there again."  
"That's a promise I definitely intend to keep," Max said softly.   
As the candles began to melt and the sun began to rise, Max and Logan continued to kiss, never wanting to let go. Logan realized it hadn't been mockish sentiment that had made him long for Max in those six lonely months. She know understood what had urged her to push forward throughout those six miserable months. The happy couple made a vow to never let their insecurities keep them apart and to always treasure the time they had together.  
**~**~**  
Max thinking to herself on the Space Needle:  
Logan was right. I'll never be a regular anything, hard as I try. And I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that Manticore might always be after my ass. God, it's gonna be a bitch to try and get my life back together but I hope I'll be okay. Actually, I know I'll be okay. I've got Logan in my corner.  
  
THE END  



End file.
